The invention relates to an apparatus and to a method for determining the turnover, the win and/or the loss of individual participants in a game of chance, such as for example Black Jack, Poker or the like, where the bet and the winnings are represented by gaming chips.
Gaming chips is a generic term which covers tokens or xe2x80x9cjetonsxe2x80x9d of all kinds, as well as coins, since casino games are sometimes played with coins rather than tokens. If coins are used as gaming chips, then they are valued at their face value. If tokens are used, then each token is associated with a certain monetary value. In American gaming casinos gaming chips are simply termed chips. In some American casinos it is also customary to use coins such as, for example, a silver dollar, half or quarter dollar coins (halves and quarters) or the like as chips.
In American gaming casinos in particular, it is important for the operator to know how much each of his guests has turned over (bet), won or lost during a day of gaming. It is generally customary for a player to be given privileges, such as for example a free meal, a free ride to the casino or home, or the like, depending on how much the casino theoretically or actually earns from the player.
An approximate determination of the turnover of the individual players took place hitherto by so-called pit bosses. These are employees of the casino who attempt to estimate the average bet of each player, the number of games per hour and also the time each player plays at the table, and thus the turnover, profit or loss of the individual casino visitors, through the observation of the progress of the gaming. Disadvantages of this method are the high costs of personnel and the inaccuracy of the determination of the turnover.
In order to avoid such disadvantages, there are essentially two different systems which are known.
The first comprises a video camera system which views the gaming table at a shallow angle, records the stack of chips bet by the individual players and supplies this information to a processing unit which then determines the value of the chip stacks bet by means of a corresponding recognition algorithm. The practical realization of this method gives rise to difficulties in the optical recognition of chips, in particular with offset stacks or with several bet stacks (split bet) or other irregular bets. The optical characteristics of the chips, such as the reflection characteristic of their surfaces, their color and their appearance in general, change as a result of their use. However, the recognition of the different chip types takes place precisely with reference to these features. Accordingly, a permanent, reliable operation cannot be achieved, or can only be achieved with substantial cost and complexity. Moreover, it can transpire that the recordings made by the camera system are influenced by unpredictable events, such as the lenses being obscured, change of brightness at the gaming table or the like, and the measurement result is thereby falsified.
The second system involves providing each gaming chip with a marking associated with the chip value, such as a radio-frequency identity code recognizable in, contact-free manner by an electronic route, and the provision of a corresponding sensor for each player beneath the token deposit area at which the respective bet is placed for each hand. The value of the stack of chips bet per hand can be determined with the aid of this sensor.
The disadvantage of this system lies in the fact that the chips required are complicated to manufacture and thus relatively expensive.
It is the object of the invention to avoid the disadvantages of the known systems and to set forth an apparatus with which the determination of the turnover, win or loss of individual players is possible in a reliable manner.
It is a further object of the invention to enable a dealer""s performance to be assessed.
It is a yet further object of the invention to acquire the data required for assessing the players turnover and the dealer performance in a relatively simple and reliable manner which does not place an extreme burden on the dealer.
Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for determining the total amount bet by individual players participating in a plurality of hands of a game of chance, such as Black Jack, Poker or the like, at a gaming table having betting areas for each player on which the players place the gaming chips they wish to bet for each hand, with the cards being dealt by a dealer and with a gaming chip depository being provided at the gaming table, the method comprising the steps of:
detecting the start of each new hand,
detecting whether or not each individual player has placed a bet in each respective hand by detecting the presence of at least one gaming chip representing the bet on the respective betting area associated with each individual player,
detecting the total value of gaming chips present in said gaming chip depository,
collecting the bets of individual players who have lost a hand, for example by exceeding a predetermined score, and placing the bets individually in the gaming chip depository,
identifying the size of each bet placed in the gaming chip depository by determining the change in value of the gaming chip depository,
associating the size of this bet with the respective betting area, and thus with the player,
counting the total number of hands played by the player,
and determining the total amount bet by that player by mathematically linking an average amount bet by the individual player determined for at least some of the hands he has lost with the total number of hands he has played.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for determining at least one of the amount bet, or the amount won or lost by individual participants in a game of chance, such as for example Black Jack, Poker or the like, wherein the amounts bet and won are represented by gaming chips, the apparatus comprising:
a central chip depository for receiving the game inventory,
means for determining the momentary content of the central chip depository, at least one chip deposit area per participant,
at least one sensor associated with each chip deposit area for the detection of one or more chips lying on this deposit area, and
a data processing system to which said means for determining the momentary chip content and also said sensors are connected.
Through a method or an apparatus of this kind neither the progress of the gaming nor the gaming participants are disturbed, Additionally the apparatus is relatively simple, functions reliably and is durable.
In a further development of the invention, provision can be made for at least one deposit area to be provided per participant for the laying down of the chips that are being bet.
With the combination of this sensor and the central chip depository, it is possible to determine in a simple manner the bet of each player for each hand and/or game.
Additionally provision can also be made for at least one deposit area to be provided per participant for the laying-down of the chips that are won.
Through this simple extension it can always be clearly determined whether the particular player has won or lost in the actual hand of the game.
A preferred embodiment of the invention can consist of the chip deposit areas of each participant being combined into a participant unit.
A unit of this kind is clearly arranged and thus simple to handle.
Furthermore, provision can be made for a gaming status sensor to be provided which detects the start of each gaming hand and is connected to the input of the data processing system.
With the aid of a sensor of this kind, incorrect contact with the win sensor and/or the bet sensor can be ignored and the accuracy of the overall apparatus can be improved.
A further feature of the invention can be the provision of a table keyboard which is connected to the data processing system.
In this way the dealer can feed into the system information such as corrections, basic information, and changes in the chip content of the depository that are not dependent on the progress of the gaming or similar information.
A preferred embodiment of the invention can lie in the fact that the outputs of all sensors are connected to the inputs of the data processing system via a first interface and a second interface, and in that the table keyboard is connected to the data processing system via the second interface.
Through the use of such interfaces, it is possible, on the one hand, to reduce the wiring complexity and, on the other hand, the data processing system is assisted in the operation of the peripheral units (sensors, keyboard, token depository) whereby the speed of the calculating procedures is increased.
Furthermore, provision can be made for the sensors to be formed by force pick-ups, inductive or capacitive sensors, sender-receiver pairs, such as for example infrared, ultrasonic or laser transmitters/receivers, video pattern recognition systems or the like.
Such sensors operate in this connection particularly reliably because they are not influenced by use dependent changes of the chips such as the appearance of the tokens, the reflexion characteristics of the token surface or the like.